Attitudes must alter

Jan 24 2008 by Mel Booth, Huddersfield Daily Examiner

IT was interesting to see Frank Beaumont, as the president of Huddersfield FA, quoted as calling the shortage of qualified referees as ‘a crisis’ because many referees will call this poetic justice.

It is not too long ago that Frank Beaumont attended a Huddersfield Referees’ Association monthly meeting and stated to the whole gathering that ‘referees are the servants of the League’.

Well that was certainly an own goal and brought the obvious response from the referees there.

As a person and a referee, I’m nobody’s servant and I strongly resent being so labelled.

With that attitude about referees among the people supposedly charged with running local football, is it any surprise that referees are leaving the game?

It is no surprise to referees that they are an endangered species and the many attempts by Huddersfield Referees’ Association to improve the relationship with the local FA have always foundered on the back of a lack of respect, as much off the field in the FA committee rooms as on the playing fields of this town.

Jeff the Ref

Huddersfield